This is one of many short video segments which will be added to the Digital Tipping Point (DTP) archive. Thanks to Thomas King, a writer for Linux.com and LXer, for doing the rough editing for this series of interview segments!

Microsoft is a fascinating company. Even its staunchest critics have respect for it the same way that they might respect the power of a massive hurricane. Microsoft is simply a force of nature. Which is part of the fascination of the Digital Tipping Point film, because we are documenting the changes that the Free Open Source Software will bring to global culture, and part of those changes will hit Microsoft. We think that Microsoft will undergo a radical transformation sometime in the near future.

And this interview with Microsoft insider Victor Stone helps understand Microsoft as only a former insider can. Victor's interview is particularly interesting because he has worked in developing some Free Open Source Software, and he is also a musician who works with music licensed under the Creative Commons, which is a licenseing framework inspired the Free Open Source Software licenses. Victor himself is wickedly intelligence, witty, incisive, and articulate. He has an unusual balance between the exacting mind of a software developer and the creative spirit of a musician. This interview is raw, rough edited footage not meant to be watched all the way through, and yet Victor is interesting enough that many people will want to watch most of his interview. Of course, since we present the interview chopped up into 29 segments of about 4 minutes each, you will have lots of flexibility in watching the video as you see fit.

Coincidentally, segment 14 of this interview will take our video collection to 1,100 items of about 5 minutes (average) on the Internet Archive's Digital Tipping Point Video Collection.

In segment 29 (Tape 149~008), Victor says that if he were a hardware maker, he would want to make computers that would play anything. He doesn't think that DRM is a problem for hardware, because they would get more sales that way. The future could be bright or it could be dark, but free is very attractive. Microsoft is somewhat stunted in its approach to fighting free software. He thinks that the developing world will accept Free Open Source Software (FOSS) even if it is not as good because they are just limited in its resources. He thinks that Bill Gates understands this. He says that Gates has been personally generous to the developing world so that they can develop basic infrastructures first. He says that Gates is a good person, and that Bill has been good to him and good to the world. Microsoft doesn't see a market in the developing world, and so they will ignore it until they see a market there, and then they will turn on the jets there. He says that the FOSS community should focus not so much on what Microsoft is doing, but on what they can do better. He does not think that revolution in the third world will work, he thinks that FOSS must have better software, or his parents will say "see, there is no free ride." Without better software, no other amount of stories of success in other areas of the world will matter.

This footage is our raw rough-cut footage. It lacks transitions, music, special effectsor finish rendering. It is our "source code". Please feel free to rip, mix and burn this footage consistent with our Creative Commons license as disclosed on this page.

All of the segments of Victor Stone's interview can be found here:

http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv146_sf_02_victor_stone_foss_activism_005.ogg (segment 01)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv146_sf_02_victor_stone_foss_activism_006.ogg (segment 02)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv146_sf_02_victor_stone_foss_activism_007.ogg (segment 03)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv146_sf_02_victor_stone_foss_activism_008.ogg (segment 04)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv146_sf_02_victor_stone_foss_activism_009.ogg (segment 05)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv147_sf_02_victor_stone_foss_activism_001.ogg (segment 06)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv147_sf_02_victor_stone_foss_activism_002.ogg (segment 07)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv147_sf_02_victor_stone_foss_activism_003.ogg (segment 08)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv147_sf_02_victor_stone_foss_activism_004.ogg (segment 09)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv147_sf_02_victor_stone_foss_activism_005.ogg (segment 10)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv147_sf_02_victor_stone_foss_activism_006.ogg (segment 11)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv147_sf_02_victor_stone_foss_activism_007.ogg (segment 12)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv147_sf_02_victor_stone_foss_activism_008_009.ogg (segment 13)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv148_sf_03_victor_stone_foss_activism_001.ogg (segment 14)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv148_sf_03_victor_stone_foss_activism_002.ogg (segment 15)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv148_sf_03_victor_stone_foss_activism_003.ogg (segment 16)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv148_sf_03_victor_stone_foss_activism_004.ogg (segment 17)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv148_sf_03_victor_stone_foss_activism_005.ogg (segment 18)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv148_sf_03_victor_stone_foss_activism_006.ogg (segment 19)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv148_sf_03_victor_stone_foss_activism_007.ogg (segment 20)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv148_sf_03_victor_stone_foss_activism_008.ogg (segment 21)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv149_sf_04_victor_stone_foss_activism_001.ogg (segment 22)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv149_sf_04_victor_stone_foss_activism_001.ogg (segment 23)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv149_sf_04_victor_stone_foss_activism_001.ogg (segment 24)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv149_sf_04_victor_stone_foss_activism_001.ogg (segment 25)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv149_sf_04_victor_stone_foss_activism_001.ogg (segment 26)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv149_sf_04_victor_stone_foss_activism_001.ogg (segment 27)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv149_sf_04_victor_stone_foss_activism_001.ogg (segment 28)
http://www.archive.org/details/e-dv149_sf_04_victor_stone_foss_activism_008_009.ogg (segment 29)

If you like this segment, please consider typing up a summary for it and emailing that summary to Christian Einfeldt at einfeldt@gmail.com. Your work will be credited and posted on this page.

The DTP will be many, many films created by the global open source video community about how open source is changing their lives. We, the DTP crew, are submitting this footage for anyone to rip, mix, and burn under the Creative Commons Attribute - ShareAlike license. We welcome edits, transcriptions, graphics, music, and animation contributions to the film. Please send a link for any contributions to Christian Einfeldt at einfeldt@gmail.com.

Or, if you would like to contribute by directly transcribing this particular video segment, you can do so by going here:

http://digitaltippingpoint.com/wiki/index.php/Tape_149

and typing the audio as you hear it into the wiki. Please be sure to add the transcription for this segment under: Segment 009, Victor Stone 29
You can find other ways to contribute by going to our wiki front page here:

http://digitaltippingpoint.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Thanks for viewing our video!

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